Watergate Ganache Cake

Watergate Ganache Cake

Of all of the #cakemonday cakes this one is my fav!

Back in the day a recipe swept the food world…….Watergate Cake! There was salad also……but I’m telling a cake story……As with all legends there are many stories as to how they came to be. Pistachio pudding was the new flavor sensation in the early seventies. At the same time the Watergate scandal was all the news! It is said that the name stuck because the cake was covered with fluff and nuts …..just like the Nixon administration administration……lol

All I know is that this cake is beautiful, full of nuts,layered with fluff, and covered with rich dark chocolate. I guess the chocolate could be the cover up…..ha ha!!

The cake is a white cake loaded with pistachios. By the way pistachios are a great source of protein, fats, and minerals……..I guess it a healthy-ish cake………I know that’s a stretch, but it could be true!

The filling is that famous pistachio pudding…mixed with cream, sour cream, milk, and powered sugar. The fluff part……

The hardest part of this cake is slicing the layers in half. If you don’t want to attempt it, just use all the filling between the two layers. But if you feel the need for a wow factor, or you just want to show off, cut them so you have four layers. I also think this makes the cake moister…… all that fluff.

The frosting is very forgiving if you have any imperfections with your cake, like I did. It seemed like I had huge gaps between the layers. That chocolate just filled it in like nobodies business. Then it smoothed out so nice, the garnish of pistachios, that green and chocolate contrast…………BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350* degrees, and grease and flour 2- 9″ round cake pans. Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Sift together flour and baking soda and add slowly into creamed mixture. Stir in buttermilk and mixing well. Fold pistachios into batter. Divide batter between two prepared pans. Bake 30-40 minutes until tooth pick comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes, turn cakes onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

For Filling:

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and blend well until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.

For Ganache Icing:

Place heavy cream, butter, and vanilla into a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high power until boiling,about 2 minutes. Add chocolate chips to cream mixture stirring until the chips are melted and smooth. Refrigerate about 30-45 minutes until spreading consistency is reached.

Assembling:

Slice each cake in half. You will have four layers. Spread filling evenly between layers and stack. To layer will not have filling. Spread the icing evenly on top and sides of cake. Garnish sides with chopped pistachios.